OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively analyze the characteristics of cognitive impairment of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and to explore the effects of different lateral patients' cognitive impairment and different clinical factors on cognitive impairment of TLE. METHODS: A total of 84 patients, who met the diagnostic criteria for TLE in the Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, were collected as a patient group, with 36 cases of left TLE and 48 cases of right TLE. A total of 79 healthy volunteers with matching gender, age and education level were selected as a control group. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the scores of Arithmetic Test, Information Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Block Design Test (BDT), Hayling Test and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) of the revised Chinese Adult Wechsler Intelligence scale were retrospectively analyzed in the 2 groups.Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the clinical factors and the cognitive impairment score. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the TLE patient group had low scores in all neuropsychological tests, with significant difference (all CONCLUSIONS There are multiple cognitive domain dysfunctions in TLE, including language, short-term memory, long-term memory, attention, working memory, executive function and visual space function. Left TLE has greater impairment of executive function and right TLE has greater damage in working memory. Long pathography of disease, hippocampal sclerosis and a history of febrile convulsions may lead to more severe cognitive impairment. Earlier identification and earlier intervention are needed to improve prognosis of patients.
Adult ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/complications* ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Retrospective Studies

To investigate the epileptogenic foci in dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) in the temporal lobe, we studied extraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) with subdural electrode arrays from nine patients with intractable epilepsy due to temporal DNT. Ictal onset zones and irritative zones were decided by the ECoG. The locations of these zones were compared to the location of the tumor. The number of ictal onset zone and irritative zone was 2.1+/-0.93 and 2.9+/-.45 in a patient with a DNT. They were detected more frequently in the adjacent tissues of the tumor (88.9%) rather than within the tumor or in mesial temporal area (66.7%). Mesial temporal involvement was found in 6 patients (66.7%) as an ictal onset zone, and in 5 (55.6%) as an irritative zone. The 7 patients (77.8%) had ictal onset zone in areas different from active irritative zone. The surgical outcome was better, when ictal onset zone was completely resected rather than partially removed. Temporal DNT can make multiple ictal onset zones and irritative zones in different regions including the mesial temporal area. Deliberate resection of epileptogenic foci, including all ictal onset zones and irritative zones, ensures excellent seizure control.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Brain/pathology ; Brain Neoplasms/*complications/surgery ; Child ; Electroencephalography/*methods ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/*etiology/*pathology/surgery ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Anatomic ; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial/*complications/surgery ; Subdural Space ; Temporal Lobe/pathology ; Time Factors

In the present study we explored the different patterns of volumetric atrophy in hippocampal subregions of patients with left and right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS). Meanwhile, the memory impairment patterns in Chinese-speaking TLE-HS patients and potential influencing factors were also determined. TLE-HS patients (21 left and 17 right) and 21 healthy controls were recruited to complete T2-weighted imaging and verbal/nonverbal memory assessment. The results showed that both left and right TLE-HS patients had overall reduced hippocampal subregion volumes on the sclerotic side, and cornu ammonis sectors (CA1) exhibited maximum atrophy. The verbal memory of left TLE-HS patients was significantly impaired (P < 0.001) and was not associated with the volumes of the left hippocampal subregions. Verbal or nonverbal memory impairment was not found in the patients with right TLE-HS. These results suggested that the atrophy of hippocampal subregion volumes cannot account for the verbal memory impairment, which might be related to the functional network.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Atrophy ; pathology ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; complications ; pathology ; Female ; Functional Laterality ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Memory Disorders ; etiology ; pathology ; Sclerosis ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features of brain tumors occurring in patients with medically intractable epilepsy.

METHODSThe clinical, radiologic and pathologic features of brain tumors occurring in 35 patients with intractable epilepsy encountered during the period from January, 2005 to April, 2008 in Xuanwu Hospital were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTSThe mean age of seizure onset and duration of disease were 14.3-year-old and 8.6 years, respectively. Abnormal signals were observed in 94.3% of cases (33/35) by magnetic resonance imaging. The histologic types of brain tumors included ganglioglioma (13/35, WHO grade I and 6/35, WHO grade II), dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (3/35, WHO grade I), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (3/35, WHO grade II), diffuse astrocytoma (1/35, WHO grade II), oligoastrocytoma (1/35, WHO grade II), angiocentric glioma (1/35, WHO grade I) and meningioangiomatosis (1/35). The 6 remaining cases showed features seen in between glioneuronal hamartoma and mixed neuronal-glial tumor. Most of these tumors were located in the temporal lobe (27/35) and associated with focal cortical dysplasia. Immunohistochemical study showed a remarkable expression of CD34 in gangliogliomas.

CONCLUSIONSBrain tumors in patients with medically intractable epilepsy are almost always benign and located in the temporal lobe. Most of them represent mixed neuronal-glial tumors and some show transitional features in-between glioneuronal hamartoma and mixed neuronal-glial neoplasm. The similar morphologic pattern and biological behavior of glioneuronal hamartoma and mixed neuronal-glial tumor may suggest a common pathogenetic mechanism.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Astrocytoma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Brain Diseases ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Brain Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy ; etiology ; metabolism ; Female ; Ganglioglioma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Glioma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hamartoma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Oligodendroglioma ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Temporal Lobe ; pathology ; Young Adult